National Trucking Week

2 NATIONAL TRUCKING WEEK B Y M A R K H A L S A L L T here are thousands of Manitoba truck drivers who travel our roads and highways and help drive our provincial economy. Many of them rely on the support of the Manitoba Trucking Association (MTA), which plays a key role in maintaining a safe and healthy business environment for the province's trucking industry. The importance of the MTA— not only to trucking companies, but to everyone in Manitoba — was underscored with the onset of COVID-19 and the burst of travel restrictions that accompanied the pandemic. Don Stewart is the Senior Business Development Manager with the MTA. He says when the pandemic began, the MTA worked tirelessly with all levels of government to help ensure provincial and international borders remained open to truck traffic and that vital supply lines were maintained for Manitobans. "COVID-19 really highlighted the importance of trucking and the importance of the supply chain to everyday lives," Stewart says. He adds that a priority of the MTA during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic was to ensure accurate, timely information was shared with members. From weekly communications pre-pandemic, the MTA moved to daily, and sometimes twice-daily, communications to keep information flowing. "There was so much misinformation out there, but we made sure that what we shared was accurate, concise, and relevant to our members so they could ensure their drivers had that same quality information," he says. According to Stewart, helping trucking firms deal with government rules and regulations has always been an important part of the MTA's mandate. "With the amount of regulations that are out there for trucking now, it's an arduous task for companies to stay on top of it," says Stewart, adding the MTA helps ease that administrative burden. "To be able to contact the MTA and utilize our industry expertise to help ensure compliance is one of the greatest member services we provide. It's very beneficial to be able to call us and get a clear, concise answer in a timely manner." Stewart notes the MTA has an equally important role as a powerful advocacy group for the trucking industry. "As an MTA member, you have a say of which direction the industry is going," he says, pointing out the majority of Manitoba truck drivers don't just stay within the province, but travel across North America. "We have relationships with all levels of government in Manitoba. Being a member of the Manitoba Trucking Association also makes you a member of the Canadian Trucking Alliance, so you're not just having a say in the direction of the industry here in Manitoba, you're helping shape it across the country." Stewart says the RPM program, which stands for Risk: Professionally Managed, is a great example of how MTA advocates for its members. The program, which promotes health and safety for those employed by trucking companies in Manitoba, was initiated three years ago due to the lobbying efforts of the MTA, according to Stewart. "Our members asked us to advocate for an industry-specific safety program. With the RPM program, safety plays an even bigger role in an organization's safety culture. Companies in the RPM program see improved employee engagement because employees know their bosses want to make sure everyone is going home safely at the end of the workday," Stewart says "As a result of this strong safety culture and improved employee engagement, employers will see fewer injuries reported to WCB, meaning there is a positive financial side-effect of RPM certification, too The RPM safety program has saved our industry members millions of dollars in WCB premiums." Stewart notes association members have also benefitted from another government rebate program the MTA advocated for, the Efficient Trucking Program. The new initiative encourages trucking companies to boost fuel efficiency through measures such as making vehicles more aerodynamic and adopting anti-idling technologies. "Rather than having a truck idling to keep the heat on or air conditioning going, there are product lines out there that can achieve this by burning a lot less fuel," he says, adding the program not only rewards those trucking companies currently using anti-idling technologies but also encourages others to jump on board. According to Stewart, the first phase of the Efficient Trucking Program, which concluded in March, resulted in more than $2 million in rebates going back to Manitoba trucking industry. PANDEMIC HIGHLIGHTS IMPORTANCE OF MTA MEMBERSHIP Association playing critical role in helping maintain supply chain The importance of the MTA— not only to trucking companies, but to everyone in Manitoba — was underscored with the onset of COVID-19 and the burst of travel restrictions that accompanied the pandemic.

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